


Stupid Cat Videos Are The Way To My Heart

by DarkMoonMaiden



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant, Protective!Michelle, Team Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-04-28 07:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14444346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMoonMaiden/pseuds/DarkMoonMaiden
Summary: “MJ’s kinda cute.”Ned slowly turned to face Peter, pen cap tumbling from his mouth when it fell open with shock. Peter didn’t seem to notice, too busy staring off into space.“Dude!”“What?” Peter said, turning to him and frowning.“Don’t you ‘what’ me,” Ned snarled, punching Peter in the arm. “You can’t just drop bombshells like that on me, man! My heart can’t take it!”***Snippets of how Michelle and Peter started their relationship, and afterwards.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my first Michelle/Peter fic. I'm a bit nervous posting it, but hopefully you enjoy <3

“MJ’s kinda cute.”

Ned slowly turned to face Peter, pen cap tumbling from his mouth when it fell open with shock. Peter didn’t seem to notice, too busy staring off into space.

“ _Dude_!”

“What?” Peter said, turning to him and frowning.

“Don’t you ‘what’ me,” Ned snarled, punching Peter in the arm. “You can’t just drop bombshells like that on me, man! My heart can’t take it!”

“Sorry,” Peter said sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. “I was just thinking and it sorta popped out.”

“How you’ve managed to hide the fact that you’re Spider-man from _anyone_ is way beyond me,” Ned huffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You just blurt out the first thing-- _anything_ \--that comes into your head.”

“I’m working on it,” Peter protested. “I mean, I haven’t let it slip out to anyone yet, have I?” He turned back to his notebook, scribbling down an equation before flipping through the pages in his textbook.

They sat in silence before it became apparent Peter wasn’t going to contribute anything more to the conversation without some violent prodding.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“You know exactly what I mean, you dork!” Ned said, jabbing him with his pen. “What’re you gonna do about this crush? Are you gonna ask her out?”

Peter shifted in his seat, the tips of his ears going red. “I don’t...I don’t think so,” he said sheepishly. “She’s sort of way out of my league.”

“Like how Liz was way out of your league?” Ned interrupted. He cringed at the sad look Peter shot him, the corners of his mouth turning downwards. “Sorry, sorry, okay, that was a bad example. I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“It’s alright,” Peter mumbled before clearing his throat and speaking clearer, pushing memories of Liz from his mind. “I mean, it’s mind blowing enough that Michelle’s been hanging out with us lately. I don’t wanna ruin our friendship or anything, or whatever weird friendship, hateship balance we have going on.”

“I think we’ve at least moved past _hateship_.”

“She keeps drawing pictures of the most embarrassing things that happen to me and slips them into my locker. I don’t think that’s friendship.”

“It could just be friendly ribbing. Or...maybe just acquaintance-ship.”

Peter shrugged and sighed. “Either way, I’m not gonna say anything for awhile,” he said, absently doodling on the side of his paper. “Or ever.”

“Oh, _great_.” Peter looked at Ned in confusion when he threw his arms up in despair. “So I get to deal with Mopey Peter. That’s my _favorite_ Peter, right under Self-Sacrificing Peter.”

Peter shot him a glare that came out looking more like a pout, which Ned was happy to point out for him.

“I’ll--deal with it eventually, okay? Just gimme some time to figure it all out. That was the first time I’ve even said out loud that I like her, so just...chill.”

Ned sadly shook his head, turning back to his homework. "Whatever you say, Mopey Peter."

***

The three of them had all started spending more time with each other after homecoming, between practice for the academic decathlon and just hanging out. It was inevitable that they ended up getting close, extending their study time into grabbing dinner and watching movies or playing video games.

And somehow, they became best friends. Michelle didn't throw that term around lightly, but there was no other way to describe Ned and Peter. They had fast become the two people she was closest to in the school.

So, when Peter started acting weird, she zeroed in on it.

She didn’t know what was wrong, but he had started avoiding her. He would glance up with preternatural quickness whenever she would walk into the room, and either scuttle away or go back to talking with renewed interest to Ned.

And that was _another_ person who was acting like a weirdo. Or weirder than usual. It was like he was watching a tennis match, eyes darting between Michelle and Peter whenever they were in the same room, a dorky grin spreading over his face each time.

Yeah, this wasn’t going to fly with her.

After a few days of this nonsense, MJ steeled herself and walked straight up to Peter.

“I don’t care about any of this 'dancing around the issue' BS,” she said bluntly. “If you have something to say to me, you should say it.”

Peter opened his mouth, no sound coming out. He swallowed, and finally spoke. “Can I take you out on a date?”

MJ froze, her frown still on her face. After a few moments, she blinked and her brow smoothed out and something like surprise registered on her face.

“Oh.”

“What’d you think I was gonna say?”

“I...I dunno,” MJ shrugged. She sat down next to him on the stairs. “I sorta thought you might, like...be trying to tell me you didn’t want me hanging around you anymore.”

“Dude, I’d never say that!” Peter rushed to say. “You’re awesome, MJ. You’re probably one of the coolest people I know, and that’s saying a lot--I mean, Tony Stark doesn’t hold a _candle_ to you. Your sass levels are probably on the same level, though, but that’s still crazy impressive.”

Warmth and embarrassment curled in MJ’s chest.

“Shut up, nerd,” was her automatic response. He gave her a wide grin, undeterred by her brusque words. “So, what’s the plan, then? Where do you wanna go?”

He paused before snorting. “Uh, sorry, I really didn’t think this far ahead,” Peter laughed, ducking his head shyly. _Oh my god, he’s so cute_. “I thought I’d either chicken out or you’d throw a book at my head.”

“I’d never waste a book by throwing it,” MJ huffed indignantly. “I’d throw a notebook or something.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

Silence hung between them.

“Does...does this Saturday work for you?” Peter asked.

MJ bit her lip. “It’s my mom’s birthday,” she said. “What about Sunday?”

“That--yeah! That sounds awesome! Yeah, totally. What do you wanna do?”

“Um, I dunno.” MJ pushed her hair out of her face. “I guess we could just get coffee? That’s stereotypical enough for a first date, right?”

“Definitely!” Peter said, his voice cracking with excitement. “Y-yeah, that sounds awesome. Great. Good.”

He was saved from further awkwardness by the bell ringing, signaling that classes were about to start. “I’ll, uh, see you at decathlon practice,” he said hopefully, his voice lilting at the end to make it sound like a question.

He gave her a wide grin, faintly showing off his dimples, and raced off.

***

The date started off a bit rocky, the nervousness showing in Peter babbling and MJ being terse, but after awhile they both relaxed and started enjoying the date.

They went out for coffee again a few days later.

And then dinner.

And then they were studying together almost everyday. (Aunt May didn’t hide her glee from the situation, loudly proclaiming that there was now an open-door policy and asking if they needed  _supplies_. Peter hadn't stopped blushing for days).

“So, you two are actually dating now?” Ned finally asked a week into their relationship. “Like, officially?”

MJ and Peter glanced at each other uncertainly, but Peter smiled and bumped her with his shoulder.

“Yeah, we are,” he said shyly.

She couldn’t stop the grin that spread over her face.

***

Peter bit the tip of his tongue, trying to ignore the leering Flash that was refusing to leave him alone. He was sitting in the commons of the school, trying to focus on his homework as he waited for MJ to finish detention (she’d had a disagreement with her English teacher that had gotten ugly).

“So, you and the _Michelle_ , huh?” Flash asked, draping himself in the seat next to Peter.

Peter glanced up at him. “Yup.”

"Didn't know you had it in ya,  _Penis_ Parker."

When Peter didn’t get immediately get defensive, Flash’s expression soured. Peter kept his head down, tugging at a loose string on the hem of his shirt as he blocked out the other teenager's nagging.

Flash was abruptly cut off by his own squawks of pain as Michelle materialized next to him, grabbing him by the shell of his ear and pulling until he was on his toes.

“If I hear the word ‘penis’ leave your mouth one more time when not referring to your own anatomy, I’ll rip your ear off,” Michelle said coldly, pushing him away from the table.

Spluttering, Flash grabbed his things and left in a huff, sheepishly rubbing his ear and avoiding the people that stared after him and snickered.

MJ blew a tuft of her hair out of her face and took the now open spot next to Peter, sitting so her back was pressed against his side. She pulled her book out without saying anything or acknowledging any of what just happened.

“Um, thanks?” Peter offered timidly, twisting to try and look at her. He gave up and settled, pulling his notebook into his lap.

“I don’t understand why you don’t kick his ass already,” MJ said without looking up from her book. “I mean, he’s fast, yeah, but now so are you.”

“Well...yeah, but.” Peter winced and shifted in his seat. “It doesn’t feel right using my strength against someone just because they’re a bit of a dick, y’know? It’s annoying and hurts, yeah, but I don’t think it’s enough for me to accidentally break a rib or four.”

Michelle glanced at him and hummed. “I guess you’re right,” she responded. She gave him a lazy smirk. “But that’s why you have me, now. Dating me has its perks.” She shifted against his side to get more comfortable, propping her chin on his shoulder and holding her book by his other shoulder with one hand.

Peter didn’t say anything, but his wide grin said enough.

***

It felt only right to talk to Liz when MJ’s feelings solidified into something more than just a passing crush, only a few days after their first date.

Liz had been the closest thing to a friend MJ had had at MSST, before she started hanging out with Peter and Ned. While she liked to keep an air of disinterest and unattachment, MJ grew close to Liz, telling her things she hadn’t told other people, and occasionally hanging out on weekend to do homework.

After Liz had moved to Oregon, the two tried to keep in contact through texts and calls, but it was hard, and they had started to drift apart. It hurt to think about, but they were still able to call and continue their conversations like nothing had changed.

Still. MJ felt like it was a serious betrayal to date her former-best friend’s ex, even if Liz and Peter hadn’t ever gotten to the proper dating stages yet.

After a bit of small talk, Michelle couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“So, I like Peter, and I think he’s into me, too.”

There it was. Laid right there on the table. She waited with baited breath for Liz’s response, suspecting that it was going to be sad, heartbroken, _disappointed._

But...Liz was laughing.

“ _MJ, I’ve known you’ve had a crush on him ever since you hung up on me when I talked about him after the decathlon.”_

Michelle’s cheeks burned at the memory. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, to just end the call after she’d heard the way Liz’s voice had softened while she talked about the nerdy boy, and how he’d been so sweet to her during the drive back to the school.

“You still went to homecoming with him,” Michelle said defensively, crossing her arms.

“ _Well...yeah. I liked him.”_ Ugh, this is what she hated about Liz. Her _earnesty_. The _guilt_ she felt for doing dick things to her friends, even if MJ hadn't been able to communicate her feelings. “ _He asked me, and I didn’t think you were going to ask him out anytime soon. I was going to ask you if you were alright with it, but you spent an entire school day telling me how stupid homecoming was, so I really didn’t get the chance.”_

“Everything I said was right, though,” MJ responded sagely. Liz laughed, but was smart enough not to answer.

“ _It doesn’t matter anymore. There’s this cute neighbor boy who’s been flirting with me, and you and him get to spend the rest of high school together. It sucks, but it’s just the way it turned out. I'm really happy for you guys.”_

There was a sad wistfulness in her voice that tugged at MJ’s heart. During these conversations, it was so easy to forget exactly _why_ Liz wasn’t spending the last few months of her senior year with them at MSST.

“Liz--”

“ _Don’t worry about it. Really. Things change. But tell me more about what you did to Flash in the lunchroom.”_

MJ gave into the eager attempt to change the conversation and proceeded to regale Liz with the latest tales of her grand quest to make Flash’s life a living hell until he left Peter alone.

***

Finding out Peter was Spider-man was...shocking. But it _was_ the missing variable to help solve the meaning behind his weird antics. And honestly, now that she knew? MJ was kicking herself for not suspecting it earlier. The Stark internship should’ve been the biggest hint he was dabbling in vigilantism, and it explained why he would randomly cancel their dates at the very last second.

In typical Peter fashion, he didn’t tell her normally, or plan for it. She had been in her room, finishing up the last chapter of a book, when the doorbell rang.

“Can you get that?” her mother called from the shower.

Thank God her mom hadn’t been the one to answer the door. Judging from how Peter burst into tears as soon as MJ opened the door, she didn’t think his nerves could have taken it.

“Peter?” she asked worriedly, pulling him out of the hall and into the apartment. “What’s wrong?”

“MJ, I--” The words got stuck in his throat. He choked on a sob before he was shifting and enveloping her in a hug.

She froze for a moment before returning the hug tightly. Now that he was closer to her, she could smell the sharp tang of smoke on his clothes. His jacket was dirty, and from underneath its collar she could see--

_Wait_.

MJ grabbed Peter by the shoulders and pushed him away so she could examine him. His eyes were wide and wet with tears, and there was a bruise starting to bloom on his cheek. While this was concerning, it wasn’t what held her attention.

She yanked on the zipper of his jacket, and the blue and red suit came into view, visible enough that there was no way it could be anything else.

Peter stared at her, but she was busy trying to understand what she was seeing. He looked like a deer in the headlights.

“Uh, I was cosplaying?” he tried brokenly, voice cracking as he held . The tears started welling up again, spurring her into action.

MJ grabbed his hand and dragged him to her room. The bathroom door opened when she passed it, showing her mom peeking out with a towel wrapped around her. Her eyes were concerned, but MJ mouthed that everything was alright before she went into her room and closed the door after Peter.

Peter was pacing around her room, running his hands again and again through his hair as MJ sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at him.

“Just--this night couldn’t get worse,” Peter was babbling. “I mean, I’m not trying to say you finding out about this is the worst thing ever, but it’s _definitely_ not great because it puts _you_ in danger and I really wanted to show you in a cooler way, like--jeez, I don’t know, but I didn’t want it to be like this. Not with you randomly seeing my suit because I was too stupid to be careful. Why does it _always_ happen like this? Can't I catch a break?”

Her mind was still reeling as she watched Peter have a breakdown in the middle of her room. She swallowed, blinking a few times to organize her thoughts and trying to brush away the strands of panic that refused to leave.

“Okay,” Michelle said slowly. “This...this is a lot to take in. Gimme a second.”

“I’m sorry,” Peter practically wailed, throwing himself down on the bed next to her. “I didn’t--” He grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

“I didn’t want it to go like this,” he shouted from the pillow.

“Then why’d you come here?” she asked, thoughts still running a mile a minute.

That made him pause, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. “I wanted to see you,” Peter said, pushing away the pillow so he could bury his head in his hands. “You--your house was close, and I...I just needed to get away from there and see you and just know that you were safe.”

His words warmed her heart, even has they made her stomach turn to ice with growing concern.

“Did...something happen?” she asked carefully. She sat down next to him on the bed, crossing her legs.

He was silent for a moment. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. “A drugstore robbery went bad,” he said quietly. “The guy started shooting, a...and some people got shot. Civilians. A guy died when he was trying to tackle the robber.”

MJ’s heart broke. “Fuck,” she murmured. “Peter, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s--” He stopped himself and let out a sharp laugh. “I was gonna say it’s fine, but it’s really not. It sucks. And it’s horrible. I’m the worst.”

“I don’t think you’re the worst,” she said hesitantly. “I mean, you’re not perfect, obviously, but you’re pretty awesome. It’s not often that someone tries to help as many people as you have.”

_God_ , she wasn’t equipped to deal with any of this. How do you talk to your best-friend-turned-maybe-boyfriend about some panic they were having about their _secret_ _identity as a superhero_? She voiced as much.

He let out a laugh that verged on hysterical. “Yeah, it’s, uh, not everyday you have to deal with it. Did you know Ned was waiting in my room and saw me crawl on the ceiling in the outfit? He wouldn’t shut up about it for weeks.”

“Wait, _Ned_ found out before me? I’m so offended right now.”

That managed to get a laugh out of Peter. “It was an accident,” he protested, wiping his hands over his face in an effort to get rid of his tears. Now that his face was visible, she saw the bruise on his cheek was already healed.

Michelle reached over and offered him the tissue box from her bedside table. He mumbled a thank you,  sloppily rubbing at his face and blowing his nose. He scooted further onto the bed so his back was pressed against the wall. She moved to sit next to him, awkwardly apologizing when their arms brushed against each other.

“I really am sorry you’re having to deal with this, Peter,” Michelle said softly.

He glanced at her and smiled, which faltered as tears started to well up again in his eyes.

“It just _sucks_ so bad.”

“I know, dude.”

Michelle was quiet as he continued to cry, resting her hand on the center of his back and rubbing soothing circles. It felt like they were like that for hours, her a silent show of support while he mourned and cried. Her phone buzzed, and she glanced over at it.

_Do I need to kill anyone?_

A ghost of a smile crossed over MJ’s face at her mother’s attempt at humor and to find out what happened. It was the way they always talked about things--’who do I need to hurt?’ was another favorite of hers.

_no its fine. he just got overwhelmed with life_

Not the most creative excuse, but it would do the job.

Michelle opened Youtube and started searching for videos. Peter wiped away his tears, and leaned in a bit closer, watching over her shoulder. She shifted so they were squished next to each other, holding the phone between them.

After a hesitant moment, MJ dropped her head so it was resting on his shoulder. She kept her neck stiff, not wanting to put her full weight on him in case it was uncomfortable. Why was she worried? He had crazy superhuman strength, he’d be fine.

Her worries were washed away when he hesitantly rested his head on top of hers. She bit back her smile, but her chest was still filled with joy at the small gesture.

“What stupid animal videos do you wanna watch?”

“Cats.”

“What kind of cats?”

“Big cats.”

Five videos later, there was a hesitant knock on the door, and MJ’s mother peeked in.

“You guys want some tea?” she asked, bumping the door open with her hip to show that she was carrying two mugs.

“Uh, sure,” MJ said, clearing her throat and shifting so she wasn’t plastered against Peter’s side.

“Th-Thanks, Mrs. Jones,” Peter said, quickly wiping away the remnants of his tears and giving her a bright smile.

“You’re welcome to spend the night, or I can drive you home,” she told him, smiling gently. “There was a robbery near here, and I’d feel better if you didn’t walk home alone tonight.”

MJ felt the way Peter froze next to her at the mention of the robbery. He smiled blandly and mechanically thanked her, saying he’d head home in a few minutes.

MJ sat in the passenger’s seat, constantly peeking back at where Peter was staring out of the window in the backseat. He either didn’t notice or was ignoring her glances, his brow furrowed and the corners of his mouth drawn down.

MJ’s mom pulled to a stop in front of Peter’s house. Peter thanked her politely, grabbing his bag and opening the door.

“Text me?” MJ blurted out before she could stop herself.

Peter hesitated in the door, but gave her a smile that made her stomach flutter. If it wasn’t so dark, she probably would’ve seen his cheeks flush.

“So. Peter, huh?”

“Not now, Mom,” MJ grumbled, burrowing into her sweatshirt and refusing to meet her mom’s amused gaze.

***

The conversation had been on a Saturday night, so MJ had to wait an agonizing entire day before Monday came and she could see Peter. He _hadn’t_ texted her, the brat, but he hadn’t seemed to open any of her messages, either, which made her feel slightly better. From what she’d heard from Ned, Peter hadn’t been texting him either.

He was standing outside of the school, awkwardly shuffling from foot to foot. When he saw MJ approaching, his entire demeanor changed, his shoulders dropping and his eyebrows smoothing out.

“You didn’t text me,” she said accusingly, punching him in the shoulder in greeting. He feigned a flinch, whining in the back of his throat. “You can’t play that game with me anymore, Parker. I know the _truth_.”

“I lost my phone,” he admitted sheepishly. “Ned’s gonna go with me to get a new one after school, wanna come?”

“I thought you’d just get Iron Man to give you the latest, hottest phone that’s not on the market yet,” she commented.

“It’d be easier for him to bug my phone if I did that.”

“Fair enough.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hello I'm sorry it took this so long to get out. I've been dealing with a lot of family and life stuff. 
> 
> Also heads up I took some liberties with canon, so this is some weird AU where civil war never happened but they're still living in their new base
> 
> Michelle is a bit...aggressive in this chapter? I tried to channel a more assertive and angry Michelle, because I feel like she'd be br00tal when Peter's hurt

Getting a call from Ned was strange enough. She couldn’t even remember putting his number into her phone, but apparently she had, complete with a rolling-eyes emoji and the name “Ned the Nerd.” 

Getting five calls in a row, with five accompanying messages? Strange and very alarming.

When Michelle called back, he answered after two rings. “Nerd? What’s going on?”

“ _ MJ! I’ve been trying to call you for ages, dude! _ ”

“Yeah, well, I had a meeting with Mr. Harrington--”

“ _ I don’t care, it doesn’t matter, _ ” he interrupted her, voice shrill and panicked. “ _ Peter, he--he’s hurt _ \--”

MJ sat up straight on her bed, her book tumbling to the floor. “Where is he? Is he okay? What happened?” The words tumbled out of her mouth in a stream, and she felt rage bubble in her chest when Ned’s spluttering didn’t answer her questions immediately. “ _ Ned _ . If you don’t tell me right now, I’ll hurt you.”

“ _ That’s what I’m trying to  _ tell  _ you, I don’t know how he is! _ ” Ned shouted, voice cracking. “ _ May’s with him, Happy says they’re upstate at the Avengers’ new place, but didn’t tell me how he was before he hung up. _ ” 

“Then we’re gonna get our asses over there and find out for ourselves,” MJ declared, already standing. She put her phone on speaker and scrambled around to find her shoes. “Are you there already?”

“ _ No, I-- _ ” Ned cleared his throat. “ _ I was scared to go alone _ .”

“Seriously?”

“ _ It’s the Avengers, MJ!” _

“Whatever,” she growled, raking her fingers angrily through her hair. “Get over to my place, we’ll go together.”

“ _ Okay, I’m already a few blocks away. I’ll be there in a couple minutes. _ ”

They hung up, and MJ desperately tried to stop herself from breaking apart and just screaming in frustration. 

She tried to think facts. Positive facts. Facts that were optimistic and totally, definitely true. Peter was hurt, but he was with the Avengers, so he was receiving the best possible care that a superhero could ask for. Aunt May was there with him. But if Aunt May was called then it must be  _ really _ serious, and he could be in a  _ coma _ or poisoned with some mystery alien poison because that was the world they lived in.

“Shut up,” MJ said to the empty room, trying to silence the panicked voice that was getting louder and louder in her head.

Okay. She had to call her mom. Tell her what was happening so she wouldn’t come home from work to find Michelle gone, or check the location on MJ’s phone and see her somewhere completely different.

She knew it was easier to keep it as truthful as possible with her mom.  _ Peter was in a car accident outside of town, _ she texted her mother.  _ Can I borrow the car so Ned can drive us out there _ ?

As expected, her mother called frantically, but gave her permission, promising to come home from work on time and to buy flowers or make dinner for May.

_ “Wait, does Ned even have his license? _ ”

MJ didn’t even pause. “Of course.” 

He definitely did not have his license.

When Ned came jogging up to MJ’s house, he found MJ sitting in the driver’s seat. She pressed on the horn, making him jump, but he was quick to hop into the passenger’s seat. He didn’t even have his seatbelt on before she was peeling down the road.

“Since when did you get your license?” Ned asked breathlessly, holding onto the handle on the door for dear life. “I thought you only had your permit.”

“In four months.”

“Oh no.”

***

It took some finessing with the GPS--it turned out you couldn’t just look up “Avengers HQ” into Google Maps--before the two were on their way out of the city and to Peter. Michelle wanted to go as fast as the car would let her, but she knew she had to play it smart. The last thing she needed was to be pulled over without a license while speeding to go see the Avengers.

“That’s it,” Ned said, pointing to a high tech building set in the countryside. “It has to be. Peter’s shown me pictures of it before.”

Michelle nodded, and drove up to the front gate. The guard station didn’t have anyone in it, a sign indicating the guard was on lunch break and to use the intercom. She pressed the button, and after a few moments, a man answered, telling her to state her business.

“I’m here to see P--”

“ _ Shh! _ ” Ned hissed in a stage whisper, slapping her arm desperately. She fought down her immediate urge to slap him back harder. “We don’t know who knows who Peter is.”

“I’m here to see Spider-Man,” she amended, leaning out of the car again to speak into the intercom box.

The guard laughed, and promptly ended the connection.

Rage bubbled in MJ’s chest, and she kept jamming on the call button until Ned was staring at her nervously and the guard came back.

“ _ Listen, kid, go home _ ,” he said, humor fading rapidly from his voice. “ _ We’re not doing any tours today, and I don’t care about your crush _ .”

“I’m here to see Peter  _ fucking _ Parker, and if you don’t let me in I’ll run down this gate!” Michelle shouted before he was even done talking, slamming her hand on the steering wheel to emphasize her point. Ned moaned as if he was in physical pain, burying his face in his hands.

There was silence before there were two Jeeps driving towards them on the other side of the gate, driven by armed men.

“Get out of the vehicle.”

“I hate you so much,” Ned hissed at her, stepping out of car and raising his hands over his head.

***

They were escorted to a clinically clean room that had two-way mirrors and fluorescent lights. MJ sat seething in her metal chair, arms crossed as Ned paced the room. Her knee jiggled with irritation, and she glared at the wall in front of her as if she could melt it with her anger.

“My dad’s gonna kill me.”

“Probably.”

“ _ You’re not helping, Michelle _ .”

After what felt like an eternity, a blond man strolled in, seeming unbothered as he drank from a Starbucks cup. Ned froze, and he and Michelle watched as he took the metal seat across from them. 

“Trying to break into a private facility is illegal, y’know.”

“Do you really think I care right now?” Michelle exploded at the blond man. She felt more than heard Ned’s whimper of fear and exasperation as he squeezed his eyes shut. He slumped into the chair next to Michelle, dropping his head in his hands.  “Look, Spider-Man’s a friend of ours--”

“You already loudly screamed his name when you were at the front gate, so there’s no point in pretending you don’t know who he is,” the man interrupted her, sounding bored. “But I don’t think he’s a friend of yours. A friend wouldn’t go shouting a secret identity to a random person on an intercom.”

Michelle spluttered indignantly, cheeks heating. “Well, I figured his coworkers had earned his trust enough to be let in on the secret,” she seethed from behind her teeth.

He seemed more amused than anything else at her barbed words, and it added fuel to the fire. The man’s attention was drawn to something else, looking towards the floor and tilting his head minutely to the side. He muttered a quick affirmative and tapped the earpiece Michelle hadn’t noticed until then.

“Well, it seems you’re in luck,” he said, standing from the table. 

“‘In luck’ how?”

He didn’t answer, but motioned them with his head to follow him. Fuming, Michelle stood up and dragged Ned along with her, who was hissing at her that it was a trap and they were being led to prison. She ignored him, but the man sent him an amused glance over his shoulder that almost pulled Ned into hysterics.

Instead of a cell, they were taken into what looked like a lounge. May was sitting on one of the couches with a redheaded woman, clutching a tissue in her fist, but when she saw them she swiftly rose to her feet.

Aunt May looked at them with a mixture of confusion and relief. She seemed exhausted, with bags under her eyes and new wrinkles between her eyebrows. She swept the two of them into a tight hug as soon as she saw them, holding them close. She smelled like lavender, and it was enough to soothe MJ’s nerves.

“What’re you two doing here?” she asked breathlessly, pulling back but keeping a hand on their shoulders. “How did you get here?”

“I tried calling Peter and Happy picked up,” Ned explained. His cheeks were flushed from embarrassment and from being so close to the beautiful aunt. “He told me Peter was hurt, so...we're here.” He halfheartedly waved his hands for effect.

“Where is he?” MJ broke in. She clutched at Aunt May’s hand. “Is he okay?”

“He’s alright, just sleeping now.”

The relief was so strong it made her dizzy and her knees almost give out.

“He’s a bit scraped up, with some fractured ribs, but Dr. Banner told me that he should be perfectly fine in a week or two.” Her smile seemed forced, but the way she ran her fingers through Michelle and Ned's had real affection. Michelle couldn't even begin to imagine how emotionally exhausted she was.

“Can we see him?” Ned asked.

“I think Tony’s just finished authorizing you two for the compound,” the blond man said, toying with a tablet. "Miss May can still show you the way around, though."

May snorted. "It's  _May_."

"Sure thing, Miss May."

Shaking her head fondly, May started herding the two teenagers towards the door.  Off to the side, Michelle’s eyes caught movement, and she saw the redhaired woman sidle up next to the blond man, crossing her arms. 

“You don’t even  _ drink _ Starbucks.”

“Eh, I just wanted to get under their skin a lil’ bit. It worked.”

The redhaired woman snorted and walked away, shaking her head fondly. Michelle shot the man an incredulous look before catching up with May and Ned.

“Oh! Right!” May said as they entered the elevator. She started rummaging through her bag, and pulled out two rectangles of plastic. “Here you two go.”

They were IDs. Actual, official, IDs for the building. Michelle and Ned’s school pictures were printed on them, along with their names.

“How’d you make these so fast?” Ned asked in awe, reverently taking his.

“Don’t tell anyone, but Tony made these weeks ago,” May said in a stage-whisper. She winked at them, managing a tired smile. “He thought you guys might be popping up sooner or later, so he gave them to me. Consider it an early Christmas present.”

“You don’t need to give me a gift for at least five years,” Ned babbled. “Five Christmases are definitely paid off with this. Oh my  _ god _ . Does this mean I can look at his labs? Or  _ any _ labs? I just need to see something, please, that’d be so cool.”

Ned’s excited words had managed to distract them for a few moments, but it was impossible to ignore the looming anxiety as they approached a door.

May grabbed the door handle before either Michelle or Ned could open it. “He looks...rough right now,” she cautioned them. “Don’t be scared. He’s in the clear right now, and in a couple of weeks he’ll be totally fine.” She shook her head with bitter fondness. "If only we could  _all_ heal broken bones that fast."

Even with May’s warnings, it was still a punch to the gut to see Peter lying on the hospital bed. He was pallid, hair limp on his forehead and arms bandaged, his right one in a cast. Both of his eyes were blackened but already in the stages of healing, turning sickly yellow around the edges. The faint beeping of the heart monitor echoed around the room.

Michelle swallowed heavily, heart thumping in her throat. She slumped down in one of the chairs next to Peter, but her hand hesitated when she reached out to touch his arm. She didn’t have any idea where to touch: it seemed like every inch of his skin was covered with bandages or healing bruises, or was too close to one of them that the skin would still be tender.

Everything seemed to slide by, images being shown one by one that she didn’t care about. Like a powerpoint in history class, with transitions in between the slides. May and Ned sitting down next to her. Both of them talking to the doctor (they called him Bruce, and her mind was vaguely able to put two and two together to realize it was  _ the Hulk _ , but she didn’t linger on that fact). Him explaining things to them, but she didn’t really care about anything they had to say. 

She just wanted to focus on Peter, and the quiet beeping of the heart monitor that told her he was still alive and breathing. For once in her life, she didn’t want to reach for her pencil and sketchpad. It felt... _inappropriate._  This wasn’t a moment that needed to be memorialized on paper. This was a moment she needed to be  _ here _ for, and she didn’t need reminders of the pain in her chest to be in her sketchbook.

Ned and May were standing up and leading her out of the room. She almost fought them, but she could see that Bruce was running a few tests, and there wasn’t anything majorly bad that she needed to worry about.

“MJ, are you listening to me  _ at all _ ?”

Michelle blinked and finally dragged herself away from her thoughts and plans on wrapping Peter in bubble wrap and never letting him leave the house. They were in a kitchen that probably cost more than a year’s worth of college tuition.

“Why’re we in the kitchen?” she asked with a frown.

Ned heaved a sigh, and May laughed quietly.

“Your stomach sounds like an earthquake,” May teased. “So we’re gonna make pancakes. That sound good?”

“God, yes.”

_Captain America,_ of all people, showed up while they were raiding the pantry and kitchen. He was unmistakable, even in his plain T-shirt and jeans. He shone his winning smile at them.

“Hey, you two must be Peter’s friends,” he greeted them. He stopped in front of them and held out his hand.  _ Jesus _ , he was even taller than Michelle had expected. “FRIDAY told me you were here, I hope you don’t mind if I join you.”

Ned opened his mouth, but no sound escaped. He shook Captain America’s hand, and Michelle was almost certain he was going to melt into a puddle. She couldn’t wait to get to her sketchbook and draw that expression.

“I was just about to make some pancakes,” May said, glancing back and giving him a friendly smile. She seemed completely unaffected by his presence. “You’re welcome to join us, Steve.”

Too late, Michelle realized that Captain America--Steve--had still been holding his hand out to shake hers. He seemed embarrassed as he pulled his hand back, and Michelle cleared her throat uncomfortably, offering him a head nod in greeting before sitting at the kitchen's island, focusing intently on May.

May and Steve carried the majority of the conversation, exchanging pleasantries and purposefully staying on safe topics. Ned and Michelle stayed relatively quiet, shoveling food into their mouths in an effort to ignore the fact that Captain America was casually sitting in the kitchen with them, making pancakes.

After the pancakes were made, May excused herself from the room, murmuring something about needing to get back to Peter in case anything changed. She kissed the tops of Michelle and Ned’s heads before taking her leave.

Silence hung over the kitchen. Ned took a few cautious bites of the chips he'd raided from the pantry, the sound horrifyingly loud in the otherwise silent room.

“So, you go to school with Peter?” Captain America asked, giving them a dimpled smile.

Ned bobbed his head. "We're his best friends," he said.

" _Only_ friends," Michelle uttered under her breath, fighting back a tired smirk when Ned elbowed her playfully.

Steve laughed. "I'm glad he has guys like you here for him," he said earnestly, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms. It was a pose that she'd seen the few times she'd actually bothered to pay attention to the videos they showed of him telling them not to do drugs. A quick glance at Ned told her that he was thinking the same thing.

"Well, uh, it's the least we could for him, to be there for him," Ned said, breaking in with a friendly smile. "He's a good friend. I can't say if he's a good  _boy_ friend, though."

"He tries," Michelle said with a heavy sigh, resting her chin in her hand. "He has a lot of work to do, though."

Steve's eyes lit up. "Oh,  _you're_ his girlfriend!" he exclaimed happily. "Peter never stops talking about you."

Michelle's cheeks heated up, and she saw the way Ned smirked gleefully at her. She shrugged nonchalantly. "Yup, that's me. His girlfriend." It felt so  _weird_ and almost childish to say out loud. The term 'girlfriend' made her feel like she was in a clichéd romance movie.

"He told me a lot about your academic decathlon stuff, too," Steve said with a warm smile. "Don't you kids have a tournament coming up? He talked about how you really whipped the team into shape." Something more affectionate spread over his face. "I really appreciate how you've been helping him and taking care of him."

"Yeah, but who knows where he'd be right now if Ned hadn't helped him out to start with," Michelle said, quickly turning the attention back on Ned before Steve could focus more on her. "He was the one that hacked the suit to get passed all of the training protocols."

It was a few minutes of fumbling through conversation with Steve before Ned couldn't take it anymore.

“They show your videos a lot in detention and in gym,” Ned said as soon as there was a lull in the conversation. Suddenly, his eyes flew open. “Not that I go to detention a lot, or anything, but Pe--Spider-man got stuck there for a couple of weeks because he was skipping class, and he told me about it.”

“It’s--okay.” If it had been anyone else, MJ would have called Captain America’s smile traumatized. “I don’t need to hear about the videos.”

“Oh. Okay.” A beat of silence. “No offense, sir, but they’re really cheesy.”

“I know.”

“The fitness testing one? Where you call the gym teacher your friend--”

“I  _ know _ , kid.” 

They were all saved from the awkwardness of the conversation by the elevator door opening, revealing Happy and another man in a suit.

“I’m driving you guys home,” Happy said, finishing typing something on his phone. “The kid’s stable, and Tony wants you to get home before your parents worry. Someone’ll follow us in your mom’s car, Miss Jones.”

She was too tired to fight, and some part of her was satisfied that she’d seen Peter safe and alive and healing. He wasn’t in a coma, only resting, and he was surrounded by people who cared for him (even if the only one she trusted was May).

“Can we talk to May first?” Ned piped up. Michelle felt a blossom of warmth at the stubbornness that was ready to rear its beautiful head if they were forced out.

Amused exasperation flickered across Happy’s face. “Yeah, I figured you two would say something like that.” He jerked his head towards the door, signaling them to follow, and they said their goodbyes to Steve.

"I'm sure I'll be seeing you guys around," Steve said with a smile. "Have a good night."

The room was almost exactly how they had left it: May sitting next to the hospital bed, Peter’s pallid face, and the quiet, rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor.

May smiled tiredly at them.

“Are you gonna go home soon, too?” Ned asked as Michelle took the chair next to May. Both of them ignored the impatient noise Happy made in the entrance of the room.

May glanced at Peter and shook her head slightly. “It’s too quiet in the apartment without him,” she sighed. “I’m sure there’s a guest room I can borrow for the night.”

“ _ Mister Stark has prepared the room for you, ma’am _ ,” FRIDAY added.

May’s lips twitched into a small smile. “Yeah, I figured he would.” She turned back to the two of them, and took one of their hands in each of her own and squeezed them. “But you guys need to get home, okay? I’ll call you in the morning, or as soon as anything changes.”

Michelle nodded and stood up. She pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead, running her fingers through his hair as she turned away. Ned squeezed Peter’s hand before following her, both of them saying goodbyes to May as they were herded into an expensive car.

The drive was almost completely silent. The exhaustion hit Ned hard, and he kept violently nodding off, jerking himself awake when his head nod forward. He was dropped off first, and Happy was kind enough not to mention how he hugged Michelle for an extended period of time, not wanting to leave quite yet. Finally, he pulled away and promised to call Michelle as soon as he woke up in the morning.

Happy pulled up in front of Michelle’s apartment. 

“Stay safe, kid,” he said when he opened the door for her. The driver of her mother’s car parked it in its usual spot, and handed the keys off to Happy, who gave them to Michelle, along with a business card. “Don’t call me too much, but here’s my number, in case of emergencies.”

She nodded, stuffing both into the pocket of her sweatshirt. “Why didn’t you give Ned a card, too?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Happy’s expression turned pained. “I’ve learned not to give out my phone number to idiot teenage boys.”

MJ wanted to ask more, but she didn’t have the energy. She waved at him halfheartedly before walking up to her apartment. 

“MJ?” her mother’s worried voice filtered in from her bedroom when she entered. “Are you home?”

“Yeah,” Michelle called back tiredly. “Mr. Stark’s assistant drove us home.”

Her mom came out and sat next to her on the couch, opening her arms so MJ could bury herself in a hug. “Is he alright? What happened?”

“He’ll be alright,” Michelle mumbled, squeezing her mom tight. “He’s alright, just needs to sleep, but just--just seeing him in a hospital bed and bruised up--” Her throat closed up before she could finish talking, a sob ripping through her body.

“It’s okay, baby,” her mother whispered, holding her close. “Let it out. I know it’s been a stressful day.”

The stress of the day hit her like a brick wall. Michelle whined in the back of her throat and buried herself deeper into her mother’s arms, letting herself feel the anxiety and fear and desperation that she’d been keeping down.

***

The next afternoon, Aunt May called and offered to take her and Ned back to the Avengers’ Headquarters.

“ _ He’s being discharged today _ ,” she explained. “ _ I figured it’d do you all good to be together for it _ .”

Michelle hastily agreed, and obediently handed her cellphone to her mom. The two older women had a quiet conversation, Michelle’s mother making May promise to reach out to her if there was anything she needed.

“I’ll bring over dinner when you guys get home,” she promised, handing Michelle’s phone back. “Just text me what everyone wants.”

Instead of May’s car waiting for her, she was only slightly surprised to see Tony Stark’s personal car. Happy stepped out, greeting her and opening the door for her. May smiled at her kindly, scooting into the center seat to make room for her.

“Peter better feel the love,” Ned grumbled in lieu of a greeting, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve been up this early on a Sunday in years.”

“Ned, it’s noon.”

“Exactly. Once Sunday morning cartoons stopped being a thing, I stopped bothering.”

“Don’t worry, we’re stopping by Starbucks,” May promised. MJ couldn’t help but notice how deep the circles under her eyes were, and almost asked if she’d slept at all since Peter had been hurt.

“My mom wants to get dinner for us when you and Peter are back,” MJ said instead. “Do you like Indian?”

“Oh, she doesn’t need to do that,” May protested.

“She wants to. C’mon, it’ll make her feel better to not have to worry about dinner.”

May seemed too tired to argue and agreed.

The drive continued to the headquarters, and they were able to enter with much less trouble. They weren’t waylaid by any guards or stray Avengers this time, and they quickly found themselves in Peter’s hospital room.

Peter was awake when they finally made it to him. He was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, wearing sweatpants and a plain T-shirt and looking immensely better than he had only the day before. Dr. Banner was finishing his checkup.

“He’s all set,” Bruce said in greeting, glancing up as the trio walked in. He gave a small, almost embarrassed wave to Michelle and Ned.

“Did you actually try and fight the security guards?” Peter asked incredulously.

“Hi Peter, it’s great to see you alive and not dead, Peter,” Michelle said sourly, flicking the tip of his nose.

“Of  _ course _ she did,” Ned answered Peter with a scoff. “Would you expect anything less from her? Peter, I actually thought I was going to jail. Like, no joke. And I thought she was gonna kill me on the drive over.”

“I didn’t know you have your license, MJ.”

“ _ She doesn’t _ .”

“I’m not listening!” May shouted, covering her ears with her hands. “I’m definitely not listening to how you two endangered yourselves.” Michelle gave her a lazy smile, but they all quickly changed the topic.

When they got back to Peter and May’s apartment, there were dozens of bouquets littered around the house, some either intentionally left with no card, while some were from Nat, Bruce, and others. It only took a second for MJ to recognize that they were from the Avengers, since she wasn't exactly used to seeing their normal names being used. Peter looked at them all with wide eyes, before he gave a watery smile and allowed himself to be lowered onto the couch.

“I think everyone likes you,” Ned stage-whispered to him, nudging his shoulder gently.

Peter gave him a smile. “I guess so,” he whispered back.

A few minutes later, Michelle’s mother arrived with a literal feast of food. She wrapped May into a tight hug, and the teenagers pretended not to see the way May’s hands shook when she hugged her just as fiercely back.

The two women hovered and fretted over all three of them, making sure they were comfortable and continuously topping off their plates. They all clambered into the living room, watching TV while they ate.

“Man, you need to get hurt more often, Pete,” Ned said around a mouthful of food. “I could get used to this.” May smacked him lightly in the back of his head. “Too soon?”

But Peter and Michelle were laughing, and May gave him one last warning smirk before going back to her food and TV.

It was well into their  _ Queer Eye _ marathon that Peter finally started to nod off. His head drooped onto MJ’s shoulder, and she fought to stay still with her heart close to flying out of her chest with pure joy and contentment.

***

“I don’t want to be here,” Michelle uttered, scowling over her glass of water.

“You had to get out of the house,” Ned protested, taking a sip of his beer and trying to hide his grimace. He didn’t fight her when she plucked it from his grasp and set it down on a random table, grumbling at him to stop trying to be cool. “You were moping around and kept checking your phone every five minutes.”

“Yes, and I was very content to continue being an angsty teenager until Peter came back.”

Ned heaved a heavy sigh. Peter was on a mission with the Avengers at an undisclosed location, and hadn’t been able to reach out to them at all, and likely wouldn’t be able to until tomorrow at the earliest.

They were both distracted by a commotion in the living room. The duo watched with detached fascination as Flash rallied the attention around him. He was doing his usual party routine in front of his setup of speakers, and apparently, someone had made the mistake of mentioning Peter.

“When I say ‘Penis’, you say ‘Parker!’” he said gleefully into the microphone. “Penis!”

“Parker!” the crowd chanted back, laughing. 

“Penis!”

“Parker!”

“Pe--”

Michelle serenely walked up to his setup and poured her full drink over the keyboard of his laptop, making the music stutter to a stop. Flash let out a disbelieving shout, dropping the microphone to the floor and holding his head. He spluttered, trying to get out words as Michelle emptied her glass and set it on the table.

“Tha--I had my programming project saved on there!” he managed to gasp out, eyes bugging out of his head. “I spent  _ hours  _ on it!”

“And I told you to stop calling Peter that,” she said, cocking her hip to the side and crossing her arms. The crowd was tittering, and someone was already plugging their phone into the speakers and playing something with a strong bass.

Flash was obviously trying to come up with something witty, but he was too busy staring in horror at his laptop.

“Quit being an ass, Flash,” Michelle recommended, clapping him on the shoulder and making him jump a mile into the air. “Or your phone’s next.” 

“See?” Ned asked, smirking as she walked back to him. “I knew you’d have a fun time here.”

“For once, you were right,” Michelle responded serenely. She accepted her purse back from him. “Wanna grab some pizza?”

“Hell yes.”

***

“You have to stop Michelle,” Ned loudly exclaimed as soon Peter entered the apartment through the window. In the kitchen, May could be heard laughing.

“No, you don’t,” Michelle said stubbornly from her perch on the bed, bent over her sketchbook.

Peter heaved a fond sigh, kissing Aunt May on the cheek as he passed her and going into his bedroom. He tossed his bag onto his desk chair and began pulling out the extra canisters that hadn’t been used on the mission. “What’d you do now?”

Michelle smirked, and held up her nearly-completed drawing of Flash’s terrified and tear-streaked face over a soaking-wet laptop.

***

“So, I saw something interesting on the news today,” MJ’s mother said casually as they ate dinner.

“Yeah?” MJ asked, fighting to get some noodles from Peter’s takeaway box with her chopsticks. “What was it?”

“Well, Spider-man was wearing your sweatshirt.”

Both Michelle and Peter choked on their food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed <3 this was my first dip into michelle/peter, but it's so cute that I'm definitely going to write more in the future

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Comments/kudos much appreciated! 
> 
> If you have any prompts or wanna chat, drop me a message: continuitygains.tumblr.com (or continuitygains on any social media platform p much everywhere)


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